| | Event type

4 x 100 metres Freestyle Relay, Women

Date	25 July 1976
Status	Olympic
Location	Piscine olympique, Montréal, Québec
Participants	60 from 14 countries

This was the final swimming event for women in Montréal. Of the previous 12 events at the 1976 Olympics, the German Democratic Republic (GDR – East Germany) had won 11, with one won by the Soviet Union (200 metre breaststroke). The GDR were overwhelming favorites and they put out their best swimmer, Kornelia Ender, on the opening leg to finish the race early. Ender opened a 1.16 second lead over American Kim Peyton and it seemed over. But Wendy Boglioli, swimming the second leg for the US, pulled back time as did third swimmer Jill Sterkel, who actually put the USA in the lead. As Claudia Hempel (GDR) and Shirley Babashoff started their anchor legs, the USA led by .40 seconds. Babashoff had been frustrated at Montréal by her inability to defeat Ender, whom she openly accused of using drugs, accusations that would prove to be true, but not fully known until after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the release of East German sporting documents. But on the anchor Babashoff achieved a measure of redemption when she out-swam Hempel to give the United States its only women’s swimming gold medal in Montréal.

Pos	Swimmer	NOC	R1	Final
1	United States	USA	3:50.27 (1 h1)	3:44.82 (1)	Gold
	Kim Peyton • Wendy Boglioli • Jill Sterkel • Shirley Babashoff • Jennifer Hooker
2	East Germany	GDR	3:48.95 (1 h2)	3:45.50 (2)	Silver
	Kornelia Ender • Petra Priemer • Andrea Pollack • Claudia Hempel
3	Canada	CAN	3:49.69 (2 h2)	3:48.81 (3)	Bronze
	Gail Amundrud • Barbara Clark • Becky Smith • Anne Jardin • Debbie Clarke
4	Netherlands	NED	3:53.40 (2 h1)	3:51.67 (4)
	Ineke Ran • Linda Faber • Annelies Maas • Enith Brigitha • Berber Kamstra (DNS)
5	Soviet Union	URS	3:53.67 (3 h2)	3:52.69 (5)
	Lyubov Kobzova • Irina Vlasova • Marina Klyuchnikova • Larisa Tsaryova
6	France	FRA	3:56.89 (3 h1)	3:56.73 (6)
	Guylaine Berger • Sylvie Le Noach • Caroline Carpentier • Chantal Schertz • Catherine Recouvreur (DNS)
7	Sweden	SWE	3:57.48 (4 h1)	3:57.25 (7)
	Pia Mårtensson • Ylva Persson • Diana Olsson • Ida Hanson • Gunilla Lundberg • Carina Ljungdahl (DNS)
8	West Germany	FRG	3:58.09 (5 h1)	3:58.33 (8)
	Jutta Weber • Marion Platten • Regina Nissen • Beate Jasch • Gudrun Beckmann
9	Australia	AUS	3:58.87 (4 h2)	–
	Jenny Tate • Lesleigh Harvey • Tracey Wickham • Drue Le Guier • Sonya Gray (DNS)
10	Belgium	BEL	4:00.35 (6 h1)	–
	Anne Richard • Carine Verbauwen • Chantal Grimard • Geert Boekhout
11	Great Britain	GBR	4:00.97 (5 h2)	–
	Debbie Hill • Ann Bradshaw • Susan Edmondson • Elaine Gray
12	Venezuela	VEN	4:12.81 (7 h1)	–
	Vania Vázquez • Ivis Poleo • Marianela Huen • María Pérez • María Hung (DNS)
13	Argentina	ARG	4:14.57 (6 h2)	–
	Susana Coppo • Patricia Spohn • Claudia Bellotto • Rossana Juncos
14	Puerto Rico	PUR	4:18.40 (7 h2)	–
	Diana Hatler • Ángela López • María Mock • Jane Fayer
DNS	Italy	ITA	–	–
	Laura Bortolotti • Iris Corniani • Elisabetta Dessy • Antonella Roncelli

Round One (25 July 1976 — 9:30)

Fastest eight advanced to the final.

Heat One

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	Time	Exchange (Pos)
1	4	United States	USA		3:50.27		QOR
		Jill Sterkel		–	57.31	57.31 (1)
		Wendy Boglioli		–	57.35	1:54.66 (1)
		Jennifer Hooker		–	58.17	2:52.83 (1)
		Kim Peyton		–	57.44	3:50.27 (1)
2	5	Netherlands	NED		3:53.40		Q
		Ineke Ran		–	58.58	58.58 (3)
		Linda Faber		–	59.76	1:58.34 (2)
		Annelies Maas		–	58.24	2:56.58 (2)
		Enith Brigitha		–	56.82	3:53.40 (2)
3	1	France	FRA		3:56.89		Q
		Chantal Schertz		–	1:00.23	1:00.23 (6)
		Sylvie Le Noach		–	59.15	1:59.38 (3)
		Caroline Carpentier		–	59.56	2:58.94 (3)
		Guylaine Berger		–	57.95	3:56.89 (3)
4	6	Sweden	SWE		3:57.48		Q
		Pia Mårtensson		–	59.49	59.49 (4)
		Ylva Persson		–	59.25	1:58.74 (4)
		Gunilla Lundberg		–	59.83	2:58.57 (4)
		Ida Hanson		–	58.91	3:57.48 (4)
5	3	West Germany	FRG		3:58.09		Q
		Jutta Weber		–	58.20	58.20 (2)
		Gudrun Beckmann		–	59.88	1:58.08 (5)
		Regina Nissen		–	1:00.90	2:58.98 (5)
		Marion Platten		–	59.11	3:58.09 (5)
6	2	Belgium	BEL		4:00.35
		Anne Richard		–	59.51	59.51 (5)
		Carine Verbauwen		–	1:00.14	1:59.65 (6)
		Chantal Grimard		–	1:01.02	3:00.67 (6)
		Geert Boekhout		–	59.68	4:00.35 (6)
7	7	Venezuela	VEN		4:12.81
		Vania Vázquez		–	1:02.75	1:02.75 (7)
		Ivis Poleo		–	1:02.58	2:05.33 (7)
		Marianela Huen		–	1:03.36	3:08.69 (7)
		María Pérez		–	1:04.12	4:12.81 (7)

Heat Two

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	Time	Exchange (Pos)
1	4	East Germany	GDR		3:48.95		QOR
		Kornelia Ender		–	56.77	56.77 (1)
		Petra Priemer		–	57.17	1:53.94 (1)
		Andrea Pollack		–	58.24	2:52.18 (1)
		Claudia Hempel		–	56.77	3:48.95 (1)
2	5	Canada	CAN		3:49.69		Q
		Gail Amundrud		–	57.93	57.93 (2)
		Barbara Clark		–	56.59	1:54.52 (2)
		Debbie Clarke		–	58.09	2:52.61 (2)
		Anne Jardin		–	57.08	3:49.69 (2)
3	3	Soviet Union	URS		3:53.67		Q
		Lyubov Kobzova		–	58.42	58.42 (3)
		Irina Vlasova		–	58.76	1:57.18 (3)
		Marina Klyuchnikova		–	59.16	2:56.34 (3)
		Larisa Tsaryova		–	57.33	3:53.67 (3)
4	6	Australia	AUS		3:58.87
		Jenny Tate		–	59.35	59.35 (4)
		Lesleigh Harvey		–	1:00.23	1:59.58 (4)
		Tracey Wickham		–	1:00.35	2:59.93 (4)
		Drue Le Guier		–	58.94	3:58.87 (4)
5	2	Great Britain	GBR		4:00.97
		Debbie Hill		–	1:00.14	1:00.14 (5)
		Ann Bradshaw		–	1:01.00	2:01.14 (5)
		Susan Edmondson		–	59.79	3:00.93 (5)
		Elaine Gray		–	1:00.04	4:00.97 (5)
6	7	Argentina	ARG		4:14.57
		Susana Coppo		–	1:02.47	1:02.47 (6)
		Patricia Spohn		–	1:05.66	2:08.13 (6)
		Claudia Bellotto		–	1:05.28	3:13.41 (6)
		Rossana Juncos		–	1:01.16	4:14.57 (6)
7	1	Puerto Rico	PUR		4:18.40
		Diana Hatler		–	1:02.63	1:02.63 (7)
		Ángela López		–	1:08.28	2:10.91 (7)
		María Mock		–	1:04.48	3:15.39 (7)
		Jane Fayer		–	1:03.01	4:18.40 (7)

Final (25 July 1976 — 20:45)

Pos	Lane	Swimmer	NOC	50 m	Time	Exchange (Pos)
1	3	United States	USA		3:44.82		WR
		Kim Peyton		–	56.95	56.95 (1)
		Wendy Boglioli		–	55.81	1:52.76 (1)
		Jill Sterkel		–	55.78	2:48.54 (1)
		Shirley Babashoff		–	56.28	3:44.82 (1)
2	4	East Germany	GDR		3:45.50
		Kornelia Ender		–	55.79	55.79 (2)
		Petra Priemer		–	56.16	1:51.95 (2)
		Andrea Pollack		–	56.99	2:48.94 (2)
		Claudia Hempel		–	56.56	3:45.50 (2)
3	5	Canada	CAN		3:48.81
		Gail Amundrud		–	57.60	57.60 (3)
		Barbara Clark		–	57.05	1:54.65 (3)
		Becky Smith		–	57.13	2:51.78 (3)
		Anne Jardin		–	57.03	3:48.81 (3)
4	6	Netherlands	NED		3:51.67
		Ineke Ran		–	58.86	58.86 (4)
		Linda Faber		–	59.42	1:58.28 (4)
		Annelies Maas		–	57.48	2:55.76 (4)
		Enith Brigitha		–	55.91	3:51.67 (4)
5	2	Soviet Union	URS		3:52.69
		Lyubov Kobzova		–	58.07	58.07 (5)
		Irina Vlasova		–	58.58	1:56.65 (5)
		Marina Klyuchnikova		–	58.57	2:55.22 (5)
		Larisa Tsaryova		–	57.47	3:52.69 (5)
6	7	France	FRA		3:56.73
		Guylaine Berger		–	58.99	58.99 (6)
		Sylvie Le Noach		–	58.76	1:57.75 (6)
		Caroline Carpentier		–	59.82	2:57.57 (6)
		Chantal Schertz		–	59.16	3:56.73 (6)
7	1	Sweden	SWE		3:57.25
		Pia Mårtensson		–	59.57	59.57 (7)
		Ylva Persson		–	59.06	1:58.63 (7)
		Diana Olsson		–	59.76	2:58.39 (7)
		Ida Hanson		–	58.86	3:57.25 (7)
8	8	West Germany	FRG		3:58.33
		Jutta Weber		–	58.02	58.02 (8)
		Marion Platten		–	59.35	1:57.37 (8)
		Regina Nissen		–	1:00.59	2:57.96 (8)
		Beate Jasch		–	1:00.37	3:58.33 (8)